First-year after enrolling in a Bootcamp
I’ve always been a celebrator of the small things, and it’s one of the qualities I love about myself. The ability to celebrate the mundane. To give this post the spice it needed, I was going to come on here and pretend that I had forgotten that yesterday marked the anniversary of my first day at my Bootcamp, but in reality, I had marked this date in my calendar and was looking forward to it, as I do with all the things that matter to me, so I could look back and see how much had changed in a year.
Going to Univelcity (my Bootcamp) was a very thought-out decision for me. I didn’t just wake up and say, “I’m going to switch careers today”. It was a lot of work that required me to make numerous sacrifices, but it also came with fear. A LOT of fear. The fear I felt was a result of a variety of factors, such as my self-consciousness, concern for what other people would think of me, and fear of the unknown, but over the course of the journey, I learned a couple of things:
1. It’s okay to be terrified
As someone who has spent their entire life in marketing and communications, there were many ifs. If this was the right career move for me, if I would regret it later, or if I would be able to understand what was being taught. While I was excited to learn, I was also genuinely terrified, since what I was learning was so drastically different from everything I had ever known, and I’m glad I was able to persevere and make the most of my experience.
2. People don’t care as much as you think they do
When I was a few months into my program last year, I was scrolling through Instagram and I came across a story where someone said that everyone and their mother was a UI/UX designer or developer now. To them, it was a lighthearted post to laugh about, but to me, it triggered some insecurities since I had finally felt like I had discovered the thing that was for me. As a result, I was reluctant to talk or post about changing careers because I thought it would be embarrassing. However, I quickly came to the realization that who cares if I was cringe, and Why should I care what other people think of me or feel ashamed of myself for wanting to expand my knowledge and share my growth with the world?
In December 2021, four months after I started my boot camp, I started putting my work online despite my fear, and over time, I overcame my anxiety about what other people would think of me since, in reality, they don’t care as much as you may believe. So feel free to be as cringe-worthy as you like; nobody cares, and even if they did, who’s going to stop you?
3. Don’t be your own OPP
When we talk about the difficulties and problems we face, we frequently neglect to mention that we can also be the opposition. Last year, I had to go through several months of self-discovery, and it helped me realize that I had been terrified of appearing foolish, not realizing that you cannot learn anything new if you do not feel stupid. The quote, “Once you shed a desire to know everything, pressure’s off. You can learn from everyone” summarizes this wonderfully.
Fortunately, I had already paid, so I had no choice but to show up every day and be dumb. This experience also helped me realize that my brain was more capable than I had previously believed, and that all that mattered was my willingness to learn and my consistency in applying what I had learned.
What to expect if you decide to enroll in a Bootcamp
It’s not going to solve all your problems
I know, I know — people try to market boot camps to you all over TikTok like Avon in the 90s, and you can’t believe it’s not the secret sauce to getting your life figured out. While I loved every aspect of my experience, Boot camps cannot teach you everything, but they will provide you with the fundamental skills needed to get things done and expand your knowledge. If you are lucky, you might even gain some lifelong friends, as I did.
You aren’t finished learning
If you ask me, learning starts once you graduate from your boot camp. Yes, you already possess a wealth of information, but to excel at what you do, you must be dedicated to always learning new things.
